Index

Rule 19 - Political groups

19.1. Representatives
and substitutes may form political groups according to their political affinities.
To be acknowledged by the Bureau, political groups shall undertake,
in particular in their political charter, statutes and activities,
to promote and respect the values of the Council of Europe, notably
political pluralism, human rights and the rule of law.

19.2. A
political group shall have no fewer than 28 members of at least
eight national delegations. No Assembly member may belong to more
than one political group.

19.3. At
the time it is formed, each political group shall submit to the
Bureau of the Assembly a statement which shall include the name
of the group, the list of its members, the composition of its bureau,
a political charter setting out the purpose of the group, and its
statutes or rules of procedure, which shall conform to the European
Convention on Human Rights. All members of the group shall declare
in writing in an appendix to the statement that they share the same
political and ideological affinities.

Each group shall notify the Bureau of any subsequent changes
as soon as possible.

19.4. Any political group which
no longer satisfies the conditions set out in Rule 19.2 shall cease
to exist. This shall be notified to the Bureau by the Secretary
General of the Parliamentary Assembly. The Bureau shall take note
thereof at its subsequent meeting.

19.5. Chairpersons
of political groups shall be ex officio members
of the Bureau and the Standing Committee with the right to vote.

19.6. Chairpersons
of political groups are ex officio members
of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, the
Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the
Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member
States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) and the Committee
on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs. Rule 44.6. shall not apply to
them.

19.7. For
each ordinary session, the date of 30 June of the previous year
will serve as a reference date for establishing the number of members
of each political group, which is necessary for calculating their
budgetary allocation, the allocation of committee chairmanships
and seats on the Monitoring Committee, the Committee on Rules of
Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs and the Committee
on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights
and for establishing the order of speakers in debates.